Various beverage preparation apparatuses which includes a milling unit for grating such an object to be grated as tea leaves and a liquid storage tank storing a liquid, for preparing a beverage by mixing the liquid and the powders obtained by the milling unit, have recently been developed. For example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2001-275843 (PTD 1) represents a reference disclosing such a beverage preparation apparatus.
The beverage preparation apparatus disclosed in PTD 1 includes a liquid storage tank which can store a liquid and can heat the liquid therein, a liquid supply portion connected to the liquid storage tank for supplying the liquid (hot water) heated in the liquid storage tank to a vessel, and a milling unit which supplies a certain amount of powders into the vessel. The vessel is placed on a placement base provided in an apparatus main body. The milling unit includes an outlet port for discharging powders into the vessel and a shutter provided at the outlet port, which can be opened and closed. The outlet port is provided above the vessel.
During preparation of a beverage, after a small amount of hot water is supplied into the vessel from the liquid supply portion, the shutter is opened so that a prescribed amount of powders is discharged into the vessel from the outlet port of the milling unit. The shutter is closed after discharge of the powders and lapse of a prescribed period of time. In succession, hot water is further supplied from the liquid supply portion. As the powders discharged into the vessel are agitated by newly poured hot water, tea is prepared.
By thus providing a shutter which opens and closes the outlet port, entry of steam resulting from hot water supplied to the vessel into a powder discharge path through the outlet port and resultant solidification of powders around the outlet port can be suppressed.